… Aidan Quinn
The countdown began.
00:29
00:28
The virtual battlefield in front of us looked more real than most cities out there. Cracks in the asphalt, the heat rising from the concrete, the wind whistling between busted windows — all meticulously programmed to feel real.
And my strategy for this simulated fight? Pretty simple.
"We run to the tower, and I kick the ass of anyone already there", I said, straight to the point, since the result was more than obvious.
"Straight shooter. I like that, Sugah", Rogue chuckled next to me.
Jubilee let out a playful "yikes."
Raven just looked at me like she was seriously debating whether letting me get wrecked for five minutes would be worth it.
But Jean… Jean didn't laugh. She stepped forward, green eyes glowing with that calm but dangerous light.
"No", she said, low but firm. "You're the strongest here, but this isn't just about strength. It's a territory simulation. If we charge in and you blow half the map up… they'll regroup, lock the tower, and slow us down," she turned her face toward me, and her look wasn't asking for permission.
Oh? Well, at least she called me "The Strongest"… but Raven could still wipe the floor with me~
"I'm taking command."
The silence that followed was tight — but honestly? I liked it. Watching her step up with that much fire?
Yeah, her emotional locks were definitely undone, huh.
Rogue whistled. Jubilee gave a few sarcastic claps. Raven raised an eyebrow — which was basically a smile from her. I stared at Jean for a second. Her aura looked calm on the outside, but inside? Pure fire. Fire that burned with discipline.
I was into it.
"Fine, darling", I said with a half-smile. "But if one of them steps in front of me… I'm erasing them from existence in a blink."
"Only if I let you", Jean shot back, already turning away.
00:10
She pointed toward the edge of the simulated city, her eyes scanning every block like she had the map etched into her brain.
"Jubilee, go through the back streets. Cover the approach and throw out some visual chaos if needed."
"Rogue, take the high flank. There's a building with good cover on the west block. Don't jump into the fight— your edge is your touch. Wait for your moment. One mistake from them… and you drop someone with a single finger."
"Raven… full shadow. Don't show your face until the last second. If they see what you're capable of too soon, we lose our most dangerous card."
Rogue scoffed, adjusting her gloves. "One shot's all I need."
Raven nodded, like she was actually on board.
"And me?" I asked, arms crossed.
Jean glanced over her shoulder.
"You're with me. Frontline. But no blowing stuff up… unless I say so."
"You're cruel."
"I just play to win."
00:03
00:02
00:01
The simulated city rumbled as the battle kicked off. And we moved. Jean Grey was calling the shots now — and me? I was ready to play.
On a short leash.
The things I do for a hot redhead~
… Ororo Munroe (Storm)
The control room was silent.
Too silent for a place surrounded by walls pulsing with combat simulations and dynamic code. Panels displayed layered visuals: thermal tracking, energy pulses, movement patterns. A tactical interface that turned chaos outside into something understandable — but even with all the screaming precision of tech… there was a kind of tension in that room no number could translate.
"They're moving", Hank said, eyes fixed on the console data. "Aidan pulled back… and Jean's taking command?"
Logan let out a low grunt, arms crossed, leaning against the wall, his eyes locked on the screen showing Aidan's team formation.
"Well… that's new."
Ororo didn't speak right away. She was watching too.
Scott's team had formed with the usual military precision: standard tactics, Kurt's mobility, Bobby's ice to control the advance, Kitty as infiltration. Even Evan made sense as a makeshift powerhouse.
Clean and safe. Just the way Scott liked it.
But Aidan's team…
That was something else.
Rogue was on the flank, eyes sharp, wearing an expression full of amusement and challenge. Jubilee moved with the chaotic energy of someone eager to impress — and probably blow something up by accident. Raven, of course, had vanished almost immediately. Aidan… was smiling, like the whole thing was a game.
But it was Jean who really caught Ororo's attention. On screen, Jean wasn't in the background. She wasn't waiting for orders or leaning on anyone. She was giving them. Standing tall, making sharp calls. Her eyes burned with a rare kind of confidence. A spark of leadership most had never seen shine like that.
Even Charles wasn't hiding his curiosity.
"That's a notable shift", he said more to himself. "Jean's always had power, we know that… but she's never liked taking control. She's careful, centered. This... initiative... isn't typical."
Ororo slowly crossed her arms. Her eyes stayed on Jean for a few more seconds, studying every movement.
It wasn't just strategy. It was her attitude. She was different — steadier, bolder. And that stirred something in Ororo's gut.
"Because of last night…?"
The thought came fast, sharp. Not out of jealousy, but surprise. She remembered how Jean watched her. How she reacted to seeing her and Aidan. And the way her mind practically screamed in silence that morning.
Something had broken. Or maybe… something had been set free. Ororo bit the inside of her cheek, not even realizing it. She knew Jean. Knew how much that girl always carried. Expectations and the pressure. The weight of a power she never asked for.
But now…
Now she wanted everything. Power, control and him.
"This is gonna get messy", Logan muttered, watching the simulation unfold.
"It's only just begun", Charles replied.
Ororo kept her eyes on the screen. It displayed the high-def virtual city — a ruined metropolis designed to test real-time decisions. Every street, every crumbling tower, every tight alley buzzed with possibility.
"They've started moving", Hank said, adjusting the interface. "Scott's activated containment formation. Kurt's leaping across the east rooftops. Bobby's freezing the central road. Kitty's about to phase through the northwest complex wall. Evan's holding the rear, setting up barricades. Flawless so far."
"As always", Logan said, arms still crossed. "Scott plays by the book. Sometimes it works."
"And on the other side?" Charles asked, eyes scanning multiple screens at once.
Ororo was already focused there. Aidan's group was a stark contrast. Organized — but not linear. They moved like a jazz band: improvising on the same rhythm. Jean was leading — and that said a lot. It wasn't common to see her step up like that. Not with that kind of presence. She was sending out commands telepathically, managing the field, reading threats. With Aidan by her side — not in front.
"She's taking a command position," Ororo said, mostly to herself.
Charles heard her. Didn't disagree.
Lower in the city, Jubilee moved lightly through back alleys, using her mutant fireworks to distract sensors and draw attention. Rogue scaled walls with surprising agility, spinning and adapting across rooftops to flank the field. And Aidan… was something else entirely. Even holding back, his mere presence distorted the control room's sensors.
It looked like he was toying with his unknown energy.
But there was a clear absence.
"Raven", Ororo said quietly. "Anyone have eyes on her?"
Hank frowned, typing fast. Scanning with whatever the room's sensors could find.
"Nothing", he said, almost annoyed.
"Is that a problem?" Charles asked, calm.
Logan scoffed, frowning.
"Only if you're on the wrong side of the field."
On a secondary energy screen, a tiny pulse appeared — almost invisible. A purple signature, wrapped in shadow.
"There", Ororo pointed. "She's already passed Scott's containment line. She's… inside the perimeter."
The cameras adjusted. For a moment, they caught her.
Raven.
Hooded, as always. Walking among rubble, cloaked in shadows that defied the simulation's light. No sound or heat. Just presence.
"She moved into another dimension…" Charles commented. "Partially. Just enough to avoid detection."
She could do that?
"Smart", Logan muttered. "Too subtle for Kurt, too dangerous for Kitty."
On screen, Raven knelt on a collapsed rooftop. Her hands touched the concrete gently. Purple symbols began to form, floating like reversed smoke.
A spell. Different from their shadow powers that they knew.
Down below, Bobby — confidently advancing — suddenly froze mid-step. The ice under his feet cracked. Nothing visibly happened. No explosions. No clear threat.
But the effect was real.
"His emotional reading just dropped", Hank said, surprised. "It's like he suddenly got… unsure of himself."
Raven stood up. Her eyes glowing deep purple.
"She touched his mind", Charles murmured. "Just enough to throw off the formation."
Evan looked back, uneasy. Kurt missed his teleport window and had to fall back. Kitty paused — and in that space, Jean made her move.
It was like Raven was the prelude. The stillness before the strike.
"She's not the leader", Ororo said, clearer now. "But she's the foundation."
Raven held the chaos so Aidan could exist within it.
Charles watched silently, but he didn't look surprised — and that gave Ororo a chill. Watching Raven control the field, and Aidan smiling like he knew he was already winning.
She wasn't sure if this was just a simulation…
… or the beginning of something real.
… Scott Summers (Cyclops)
Something was off.
Scott couldn't say exactly when the feeling started — maybe when Bobby hesitated, or when Kitty froze in open ground for more than three seconds. Maybe when Evan started overdoing the spikes, like he was trying to bunker down.
But now? Now he was sure.
His team was stalling. Not because of lack of skill — but because of something else. Something external.
"Bobby, give me a read on your position", he ordered, keeping his tone steady.
"R-Route's unstable. The ice isn't holding weight. And… man, I've got a weird feeling out here."
"Kurt?"
"I teleported and came right back. There was something wrong in the air. Like… something pushing me away."
"Kitty?"
"Had to fall back. I… felt someone behind me, but no one was there."
Scott clenched his jaw. Too fast, too scattered. This wasn't a tactical breakdown. Someone was pulling strings under the surface.
"Group up. Central plaza. Defensive formation. No one isolates."
The icons on the tactical display started to converge — slowly. Hesitantly. Bobby's ice wasn't forming paths anymore — it was blocking escape routes. Kurt was disappearing too long between ports. Kitty kept fading into walls, drifting farther from the core. Evan's spikes missed their marks. His stance was shaky.
It wasn't physical fear. It was psychological. Emotional.
"Someone's messing with their heads", Scott muttered, finally admitting it.
But that didn't sound like Jean… and he refused to believe she had changed that much.
Then came the crack. A subtle clink of metal — like a door creaking open on the perfect gust of wind.
And Rogue appeared, slinking down from the rooftop like a silent predator. Her movements were clean, sleek, deliberate. Gloves tightened and eyes alert. She didn't strike right away — she just positioned. Made sure they saw her.
From the other side came a burst of color. Jubilee showed up laughing, flinging bright, dancing sparks between the abandoned cars like she was starting the first light show of a summer festival. Nothing lethal — just enough to blind and throw them off.
"They're boxing us in", Scott realized.
It was a dance — and he was out of step.
"Kurt, stop teleporting without alert. Bobby, only block the tower route. Kitty, get back to the core, now. Evan, cut the barricades and lock down the alleys!"
No immediate responses.
Then he saw them. Through the digital fog forming around the tower, two figures stepped forward.
Jean came first. Her stance wasn't one of someone taking orders. It was the posture of someone giving them.
And right behind her…
Aidan staring straight at Scott like he was about to crack a joke — or collapse his entire world with a single word.
The ice on the ground fractured.
Scott didn't need anyone to explain. He already knew: The real fight had started — and he was already on the losing end, before the first punch was thrown.
He watched his formation crumble like a house of cards against a well-timed breeze. And the worst part? No one on the opposing team was even forcing direct fights.
"Bobby, hold the front! Kurt, go high! Kitty, swing wide! Evan, with me!" His orders came out fast, but the replies were… weak.
His team was fragmented. Not from panic — from a different kind of pressure. They were being unraveled from the inside.
Bobby tried to throw up a dense ice wall between them and the core. Jean raised her hand — a simple, short motion. The wall shuddered… and shattered into a thousand shards, spraying ice in every direction. Not destructive — but precise enough to force Bobby to shield himself, pull back, and lose ground.
Kurt bamfed in high, aiming to teleport behind Aidan. But Aidan turned his head slightly — almost lazily. His eyes — the Six Eyes — glowed with that eerie blue light.
It wasn't raw power. It was perception. Ridiculous and terrifying precision.
Kurt froze. He didn't see Infinity — but he felt it. His instincts screamed: if you go in… you don't come out.
He vanished again, reappearing several feet away, cold sweat on his forehead.
"There's something around him…" he said over comms. "I can't explain it, but it's like the space between me and him… is infinite."
Scott's fists clenched tighter.
"Then don't engage. Contain him."
On the other side of the field, Rogue caught Kitty as she phased out of a wall. It wasn't about strength — it was timing. She was waiting. One quick touch was all it took to knock Kitty off balance. Kitty stumbled back, dazed. The touch had drained some of her energy — not a lot, but enough to make her legs feel like jelly.
Rogue didn't follow up. She just smiled, like saying, "Next time, no warning."
A burst of light in the background — Jubilee. Still running distractions, and it was working. Everything was falling apart way too fast.
And then, they arrived.
Jean walked with purpose, like she already knew exactly how this was going to end. And beside her… him.
Aidan didn't look tense or threatening, but the space around him was distorted. Tiny bits of rubble floated a few inches from his skin. The air around him… simply wouldn't touch him.
Infinity.
The automatic defense. The infinite space between him and the world.
Scott understood: Aidan didn't need to block anything. Nothing could ever reach him.
And then Aidan raised his hand — a sharp, controlled motion.
"Blue", he murmured, almost like a warning.
Space twisted in front of Evan — just as he was about to launch his spikes.
A sudden implosion pulled everything inward — debris, dust, even loose pieces of pavement. Evan stumbled back, off balance, forced to his knees. Jean followed it up. A telekinetic wave pushed the wreckage aside, clearing a path.
They were marching through the ruins of Scott's control.
"Regroup! Focus on the core! Stay together!" He shouted, backing up to cover the entrance.
But no one really responded. Scott kept yelling — out of instinct, habit, pride. But no one was listening anymore. Kitty was out of commission, slumped against a wall, struggling to catch her breath, trying to clear her fogged-up mind. Bobby was down on his knees, hands over his face, blinded by Jubilee's random bursts of light. Evan was trying to stand, arm shaking, his eyes lost like he couldn't figure out how he'd gone down without being touched.
Kurt was still up… but hesitating. Watching Jean. Watching Aidan.
And Scott knew exactly what he was seeing. Dominance. Not through yelling. Not through moral superiority. Through presence.
Jean moved like a living strategy — every gesture opened a path, every look tore down mental walls and Aidan was the blade that followed the cracks.
And now… they stood before him.
Scott clenched his fists, panting. The simulation was still active. The tower was still glowing.
He was still standing.
"You're not getting past me", he said, steady. "I don't care what you've done up till now."
Aidan looked at him.
A small smile. Almost… kind.
"It's not about getting past you, Scott. It's about showing you that you don't have to be at the center of everything."
"I'm here to keep order", Scott shot back. "If that breaks down, people get hurt."
"Maybe what's broken…" Aidan replied, stepping forward, "… is the order you're trying to protect."
The pressure surged.
Infinity already surrounded him. The air shimmered around Aidan like heat waves on asphalt.
Scott triggered his visor. Optic blasts ready. Full power. It was a risk — he knew that. But it was the only shot. A straight beam, max precision.
The ruby beam tore through the air, shredding everything in its path — straight at Aidan's chest.
But it never reached him.
Scott didn't have time for a second shot. Aidan was already in front of him, moving with enhanced speed — faster than a blink.
"Red."
He activated the third instance of his technique.
The shockwave exploded from his hand like an invisible hammer. Scott was blasted backward, slammed into the tower's metal structure and dropped hard. Not unconscious… but defeated.
No chance. No tactic. No footing. He fell to his knees, gasping, soaked in sweat — defeated.
And he felt something he hadn't felt in a long time…
Humility.
But the field didn't go quiet. Not yet. Because in that moment… the air grew heavier. Darkness condensed near the tower, not like shadow — but like a veil.
And from it… came Raven.
Not rushing. Not with some dramatic pose. Just… with purpose. Her cloak swirled around her body. Her eyes glowed violet. A circle of energy floated beneath her feet, like an extension of her will.
Aidan saw her — but didn't speak. Like he already knew she'd show up right then. Jean saw her too — and said nothing.
Because they both knew: She didn't come for glory.
She came to finish it.
Raven floated to the center of the field and raised a hand. Darkness gathered behind her — a cloak of living shadow.
And then, with a calm, steady, almost ancient voice: "The simulation ends now."
She pressed her hand against the air.
The space cracked — light and shadow merging. The entire environment froze for a heartbeat.
And then… the tower went dark.
The central core shut down. The energy vanished. The system confirmed it: Victory for Aidan's team.
But in that moment… there were no cheers. No taunts. No cocky celebrations.
Raven's presence was absolute.
As if the battlefield had always belonged to her — and she had only now decided to prove it.
Scott, still on the ground, looked up at her and finally understood: Aidan wasn't just powerful. He had a center.
And that center… was made of silent darkness.
Of unwavering choice.
Of Raven.